is it ambient wank? (Back To Mine - Faithless)

Member Name: fake plastic tea

Product:	Back To Mine - Faithless
Date:	29/04/01 (211 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a great chill out album

Disadvantages: can be a bit slow and boring

It doesn’t matter if you have heard (or even like) Faithless music before or not this is an album that you can still really get to like and listen to over and over again. It was mixed by two brilliant people, Sister bliss who is a current member of Faithless as well as being a top club DJ, and a former Faithless member (as well as being an electronic guru) called Rollo. If because of this you think that this will be a dance album you are wrong because it is actually a chill out album that came about after Sister Bliss and Rollo were asked to make a compilation of so called mellow music.
The compilation itself only has one song by Faithless (Sunday 8pm) but don’t let this put you of if you are after more music by Faithless themselves. The rest of the music that is in this compilation is I think very good and well worth listening to provided you are in the right mood. If you are after more dance beats them this is not one that you will want to listen to this and so I wouldn’t recommend this compilation to you. But, if, on the other hand you are into a bit of chill out music and are prepared for something that is a little bit out of the norm then this is the album for you. I would love to talk about all of the tracks on this album but it would end up being so long it would take much time to read, so I have given a brief outline of the album with a bit more about the tracks that I think are worthy of the bigger mention.
It starts off with a track called intro and it really does set the mood for the rest off the album. It is very relaxed and laid back and it quickly goes on into a song by Dido and then into one by Dusted. I think the next track, Past by Sub Sub, is such a good one that I would go and buy the album on the strength of it. It is such a relaxed tune with the rise and fall of the bass line in perfect harmony with the gentle playing of the drums. The melody played on a guitar really does fit in well with the chords of the Keyboard
and when it is all put together it is a real treat to here. This brilliance is them followed up with a very interesting and I think almost as good track called Mushrooms by Marshall Jefferson Vs the Noosa Heads. It is also very laid back but this time there is a stronger drum beat with less bass and the melody being provided by the singing. It all comes together in a very interesting and relaxing way.
This track is them followed by Bug Powder Dust and never Goin’ Down and these are followed by another track that is very relaxing but at the same time interesting to listen to. It is Another Night In by Tindersticks and starts with a very sad and slow violin playing which then fades out to the singing of one man which also sounds very sad. The violin them recombines with the singing about halfway through the song and it carries on to a fade out into a very sad but interesting end.
This track is then followed by the urban campfire blues called Solo Flying Mystery Man by Pauline Taylor, and I Loved My Man before getting to what I think is another very good tune but then I would being a very big fan of Faithless, and as you probably guessed, it is Sunday 8pm by Faithless. For all you Faithless fans you will probably know how relaxing and peaceful this tune is, but if you haven’t heard it, then it is well worth listening to as it has a large variety of musical sounds that all combine together to make a very good track.
This then goes on into the Child, Throw, Hercules and Fade into you, which are all very different ambient tracks but they are mixed in such a way that they sound absolutely perfect together.
The end of the album is absolutely brilliant as the ending cut is Billie Jean, but it is not the wacko jacko form however, but in Shinehead’s superb gunshot ringing dancehall version.
So there it is then, the Faithless back to mine experience. As wide as your imagination but held together by that essential ingredient SOUL. Of
course I realise that because of this it won’t be to everyone taste and therefore I will not recommend it to any one who doesn’t like ambient and relaxing music but if you are in to the sort of Faithless twist then it is well worth considering.

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